San Sebastiano Historical Timeline

Origins

The church was founded in 1396 by hermit monks of San Girolamo, and substantially rebuilt in 1506 under the architect Antonio Abbondi, better known as Scarpagnino, giving the building its present single-nave form with an atrium and a raised, domed presbytery.

Turning points

Prior Bernardo Torlioni commissioned Paolo Veronese to decorate the church across three separate campaigns -- 1555-1556, 1558-1559, and 1565-1570 -- intended to represent the victory of faith over heresy, a theme very much of its Counter-Reformation moment.

Influential people

Veronese filled the coffered ceiling with scenes from the Book of Esther, painted Old Testament episodes in the sacristy, decorated the organ shutters with the Nativity and the Presentation at the Temple, and contributed several major altarpieces, including the Virgin Mary in Glory with St. Sebastian.

Cultural evolution

Veronese continued working on the church for the rest of his life and, on his death in 1588, was buried inside it, turning San Sebastiano into his own mausoleum as much as his masterwork.

Present-day significance

The church remains one of the most complete single-artist interiors in Venice, giving visitors a chance to see Veronese's work exactly as he intended it to be seen, in the building he spent decades of his life decorating.